FACT SHEET ON OVERSEAS STUDY IN CHINA AND CREDIT TRANSFER FOR OVERSEAS STUDY IN CHINA

WHAT TO CONSIDER AS YOU BEGIN TO PLAN A COURSE OF OVERSEAS STUDY:

Visit the Office of Study Abroad for information and brochures on GW-affiliated programs of overseas study in China. Equivalencies have been established for many, but not all, the courses offered in these programs; for example, taking CL313 with CET Beijing would be the equivalent of taking CHIN 107 in EALL here at GWU. If you should choose to attend a non-GW-affiliated program, equivalencies will have to be established on a course-by-course basis. Not all credits obtained in overseas programs are automatically transferred with the same credit value; for example, a 10-credit course taken overseas may be converted to 6 or 8 under the GW system. Students who have already taken a given course at GWU will not receive credit for the equivalent course in an overseas program. We may be able to transfer these credits as electives, but in that form they may or may not satisfy your degree/graduation requirements.

MUST-DO LIST FOR ALL STUDENTS CONSIDERING OVERSEAS STUDY:

1. Obtain pre-approval for your planned course of study from the Chinese faculty of EALL before leaving. (See “How to Obtain Pre-approval for Overseas Study in China.”)
2. Keep a complete record of all documents, including syllabi, lists of course materials, papers, reports, and examinations.
3. Be prepared to take, if necessary, a placement test during your first semester of reentry. (See “Cases In Which A Placement Test May Be Deemed Necessary After You Return from Overseas Study.”)

How to obtain pre-approval for overseas study:

1. Bring a pre-approval form from the Office of Study Abroad to be signed by one of the designated Chinese faculty (see “Faculty to See for Pre-Approval of Overseas Study”).
2. Provide a data sheet listing the following:

a. Your full name, with e-mail address in the upper right-hand corner

b. All Chinese courses you will have completed, at GWU or elsewhere, before you enter the overseas program

c. Courses you still need to take to satisfy your degree requirements

d. Courses you plan to take overseas, along with detailed course descriptions, textbooks (if known), number of contact hours per week, and total number of hours per semester

FACULTY TO SEE FOR PRE-APPROVAL OF OVERSEAS STUDY IN 2007-2008:

Alice Cheang (general), Rome Hall 463

Davis Lee (general), Rome Hall 466

Jonathan Chaves (classical Chinese), Rome Hall 468

HOW TO OBTAIN APPROVAL FOR CREDIT TRANSER UPON COMPLETION OF OVERSEAS STUDY:

Bring the following items:

1. A paragraph briefly explaining your needs
2. Your copy of the pre-approval form, signed by one of the Chinese faculty (see “Faculty to See for Pre-approval of Overseas Study in 2007-2008”)
3. The Course Approval Request Form from the Office of Study Abroad (fill in only the courses of overseas study, leaving the other spaces blank)
4. Detailed documentation on your overseas study, including samples of work done (see “Must-do List For All Students Considering Overseas Study”)

N.B. If you fail to provide adequate documentation, or your samples of work done are deemed insufficient, you may be required to take a test (oral and written).

CASES IN WHICH A PLACEMENT TEST MAY BE DEEMED NECESSARY AFTER YOU RETURN FROM OVERSEAS STUDY:

During the first semester after you return from abroad, we may ask you to take an examination to help us further to evaluate your proficiency level. This will occur if one or more of the following apply to you:

1. You wish to place out of (i.e., to obtain a waiver for) a certain GW course.
2. You failed to obtain pre-approval before departure.
3. You attended a non-GW affiliated/sponsored overseas program (see “What to Consider As You Begin to Plan A Course of Overseas Study”).
4. You failed to provide adequate documentation to support your application for credit transfer.
5. Your grades for overseas study were below B, or you fail to demonstrate any marked improvement in proficiency.